As the third quarter of 2024 draws to a close, CoinGecko’s Q3 Crypto Industry Report sheds light on the rapidly changing dynamics of the cryptocurrency landscape.
With market fluctuations driven by global economic pressures and shifts in digital asset dominance, the report highlights both the resilience and volatility that characterize the crypto space.
From Bitcoin’s strengthening position to the explosion of prediction markets, this quarter has been defined by pivotal developments that have far-reaching implications.
Here are the top seven highlights from the analysis, providing a snapshot of how the cryptocurrency market evolved and what may lie ahead:
Crypto Market Cap Declines Slightly, Closing Q3 at $2.33 Trillion
The total cryptocurrency market cap fell by 1.0% during Q3, ending the quarter at $2.33 trillion. This came after a high of $2.61 trillion in July.
Economic pressures, such as interest rate changes by the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan, influenced these fluctuations. By the end of Q3, an aggressive rate cut in the U.S. and new stimulus measures in China helped the market recover slightly.
Average trading volumes also declined, with a 3.6% drop from the previous quarter.
Bitcoin Increases Market Dominance, Now at 53.6%
Bitcoin (BTC) saw its market dominance grow to 53.6% this quarter, up 2.7% from Q2. Although BTC experienced only a modest 0.8% price gain, other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum (ETH) saw larger declines, which contributed to Bitcoin’s increased market share.
Ethereum, for example, ended Q3 with a 13.4% market share, marking a 3.6% decrease.
Gold Outperforms Bitcoin with a 13.8% Rise
Bitcoin’s performance was modest compared to other asset classes this quarter. In fact, gold led the pack with a 13.8% increase, driven by fears of an economic slowdown and geopolitical tensions.
The Japanese Yen also performed well, climbing 12.0% due to the Bank of Japan’s unexpected rate hike. Bitcoin outperformed only crude oil and the U.S. Dollar Index, both of which faced challenges.
Prediction Markets Boom, Growing 565.4% in Q3
Prediction markets experienced substantial growth, expanding by 565.4% in Q3. The majority of this activity was on Polymarket, which captured 99% of the market.
Betting volume on Polymarket surged by over 700%, largely driven by interest in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. Total volume across the top three prediction markets reached $3.1 billion this quarter.
Ethereum Layer 2 Transactions Surge, Led by Base
Ethereum Layer 2 solutions gained traction this quarter, with transactions increasing by 17.2%. Base, a leading Layer 2, accounted for 42.5% of these transactions. By September’s end, daily transactions across the top 10 Layer 2s reached nearly 10 million.
Arbitrum and Blast followed Base in transaction volume, showing the growing demand for efficient alternatives to Ethereum’s mainnet.
Centralized Exchange Spot Trading Volume Drops to $3.05 Trillion
Spot trading volumes on centralized exchanges (CEXs) dropped by 14.8% in Q3, totaling $3.05 trillion. Binance maintained its position as the largest CEX, although its market share dipped below 40% for the first time since 2022.
Crypto.com saw the most growth among CEXs, rising to the second-largest position and capturing 14.4% of the market by September.
Ethereum’s DEX Trading Dominance Declines as Solana and Base Gain Ground
Ethereum remained the leader for decentralized exchange (DEX) trading, but its market share fell below 40% this quarter.
Solana capitalized on the shift, ending Q3 with a 22% share, fueled by meme coin trading. Base also expanded its influence, overtaking Arbitrum and achieving a 13% market share.
Tron entered the DEX top 10 after launching a new memecoin platform, capturing a 2% share by September.
Commenting on Q3, Bobby Ong, COO and co-founder of CoinGecko, explained, “Q3 saw crypto close the quarter flat at a $2.3 trillion market capitalization, but it was still a volatile quarter due to shifting geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions. Nevertheless within the crypto industry, there were notable developments on the predictions market, stablecoins and speculative tokens fronts. In the final quarter of 2024, we’ll be watching to see how geopolitical and macroeconomic factors – especially the US Presidential Elections and Fed monetary policy decisions – continue to play out.”
